How to get crystal shards in Valheim

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Now you can actually use them.

Valheim crystal shard
(Image credit: Iron Gate Studios)

You may have been saving crystal in Valheim in the hope that they'll eventually have some purpose. That wait is now over, thanks to the Hearth and Home update that landed on September 16. While crystal has been the game since the beginning, Valheim's first major update adds new items you can craft with it. 

There's plenty of new things to discover in Hearth and Home, including a much-requested feature with the addition of the Valheim cartography table. But if you're keen to find out what you can do with your stockpile of Valheim crystal—or want details on where to find it, here's what you need to know.

How to get Valheim crystal

Crystal shards in Valheim are dropped by stone golems in the Mountain biome. If you haven't seen one before, there's a good reason for that. Stone golems remain idle until an enemy approaches, whether that's you, the player, or a Valheim wolf or drake. When idle, Stone Golems appear to be nothing more than a pile of rocks, so they're very easy to miss.

As you'd expect from something made out of stone, they have high defence and can pack a punch. Most weapons are fairly ineffective against them, but they are weak to pickaxe damage. If you manage to destroy a stone golem, you'll be rewarded with several crystal shards.

(Image credit: Iron Gate Studios)

Valheim crystal use: What the resource is for

Finally crystal shards have a use in Valheim. Now that the Hearth and Home update is here, you'll unlock two new recipes as soon as you pick it up: Crystal wall and crystal battleaxe. 

Crystal wall looks like thick glass and is under the 'building' tab in the crafting menu when you have your hammer selected. You'll need: 

  • Crystal x2
  • A workbench

The crystal battleaxe is a two-handed weapon that deals both slash and spirit damage. You'll need:

  • Crystal x10
  • Ancient bark x40
  • Silver x30
  • A level 3 forge

The ancient bark comes from trees in the Swamp biome, while silver is mined in the Mountains. 

Sarah James
Sarah James
Senior Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.

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